News Releases

Only If You Are Really Interested

by Dr. Nicholas Greco

Why do we enjoy the music that we listen to? What keeps us interested when we encounter media texts? Dr. Nicholas Greco, Assistant Professor of Communications and Media at Providence College, addresses some of these questions in his new book, “Only If You Are Really Interested”: Celebrity, Gender, Desire and the World of Morrissey, published by McFarland Press. McFarland is one of the largest companies in the area of scholarly texts that focus on popular culture. While the book focuses on the British singer Steven Patrick Morrissey, the concepts it explores are applicable to many celebrities in mediated society.

“Morrissey is a fascinating celebrity, one who maintains his celebrity through enigma, a constant state of mystery,” says Greco, who is both a scholar and fan. “It is important to understand how celebrity works and how we as fans engage with celebrity.” The case of Morrissey illuminates how celebrity functions, and how fans engage with celebrities that they like.

The book can be ordered from any book retailer, or from online retailers such as Amazon.